Skipper Otto’s Community Supported Fishery

Canada

Skipper Otto’s, based in Vancouver, British Columbia (Canada), has taken the popular Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) model and applied it to the realm of seafood. Members of the “Community Supported Fishery”, or CSF, buy shares and receive installments of local, sustainably-caught seafood throughout the fishing season.

The economic, environmental and social benefits of providing such a direct connection between fishermen and consumers are profound. First, by helping small-scale fishermen sell directly to their communities – rather than big aquaculture firms or corporate chains – the CSF model enables them to catch and recirculate a greater percentage of seafood dollars locally, supporting additional livelihoods in the process.

Skipper Otto’s CFS also supports ecological sustainability by enabling local fishermen to prioritize the long-term health of the marine ecosystems they depend on. Rather than trying to meet the demands of an insatiable global market, they’re able to make a good living by focusing (primarily) on the more limited needs of their own communities. By catching only those species that are sufficiently abundant, they help prevent overfishing. In a reciprocal relationship, sustainable harvests beget more secure livelihoods.

To learn more, visit Skipper Otto’s website.